Friday, November 28, 2014

Pack Expo International 2014 attendance tops 2012 numbers

Packaging and processing professionals gathered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, for Pack Expo International and Pharma Expo 2014. With preliminary figures topping 48,600 attendees, show owner and producer PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies) anticipates recording a 6.5% attendance jump over 2012.
The four-day event, held Nov. 2–5, covered more than 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space in McCormick Place with 2,352 exhibiting companies—an increase of more than 19% for exhibiting companies from Pack Expo International 2012. “Pack Expo International 2014 was definitely a success,” said Jim Pittas, senior vice president, PMMI. “Exhibitors sold machines right off the show floor and collected high quality leads from the steady flow of attendees.”
Pre-show registration was well ahead of 2012 figures, and that momentum continued on site, according to show organizers. Pharma Expo, which PMMI produced in partnership with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, contributed to the surge in attendance, with twice as many attendees identifying their primary or secondary markets as “pharmaceutical.”
“Exhibitors begin planning their strategy for the next Pack Expo almost immediately after the close of the previous year’s show, and they need to know they’ll get a strong return on their investment,” said Pittas. “The success of the inaugural Pharma Expo proves the strength of the Pack Expo brand across all vertical markets and reinforces the industry’s view of Pack Expo as the preeminent North American packaging and processing show.”Pack Expo East will be held Feb. 16–18, 2015, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Registration is US$30 through Jan. 21, when it increases to US$60.